April, 1, 2008

BEMIDJI, Minn. - For the fourth time in his seven-year reign as Bemidji State University's head men's ice hockey coach, Tom Serratore has been named a finalists for the Spencer Penrose Award--the American Hockey Coaches Association's National Coach of the Year.

Serratore, the 2004, 2005 and 2008 College Hockey America Coach of the Year, helped lead Bemidji State to its third conference regular-season title in 2007-08. The Beavers posted a 17-16-3 overall record with a league-best 13-4-3 mark in league play while pacing the CHA in scoring offense (3.55), scoring defense (1.95) and power-play and penalty-kill efficiency at 29.2 and 91.8 percent respectively. The team also spent most of the campaign ranked among the top 10 in the country in scoring defense, power-play and penalty-kill efficiencies and combined special teams.

Under Serratore, BSU has posted six consecutive seasons with a record of .500 or better, while it has captured five straight top two finishes in CHA play. Since the beginning of the 2003-04 season, no NCAA Division I program has fared better within their own league than BSU. During that time frame, the Beavers are 66-24-10--a mark good for a .710 winning percentage.

In 2007-08 Beavers had three skaters earn All-College Hockey America honors marking the seventh consecutive season that Bemidji State has been represented by multiple student-athletes to the all-conference team. Junior defenseman Cody Bostock (Salmon Arm, British Columbia) earned a First Team nod while Matt Climie (Sr., G, Leduc, Alberta) and Travis Winter (Jr., F, St. Cloud, Minn.) appeared on the Second Team. In addition, freshman forward Matt Read (F, Ilderton, Ontario) was named CHA Rookie of the Year.

This season, Bemidji State also continued its domination of the College Hockey America All-Academic Team. For the sixth consecutive campaign, the Beavers led the league in Academic All-CHA picks with 18 players awarded for their performance in the classroom.

In addition to setting a new league record, BSU’s 18-member group represented more than a third (36 percent) of the 50 student-athletes honored league-wide as Academic All-CHA. BSU’s 2007-08 Academic All-CHA class brings the total of Beaver skaters honored for their academic efforts by CHA to 108 since the league’s inception for the 1999-2000 season, with 101 coming under Serratore. Niagara is a distant second with 78 selections.

It is the fourth time in Serratore’s seven-year head coaching career he has been a finalist for the Penrose Award. He was a finalist after his first year as a head coach in 2001-02 and again in 2003-04 and 2004-05 after winning CHA Coach of the Year honors. Serratore is among a list of six repeat Penrose Award finalists that includes: Red Berenson of Michigan, Dave Hakstol of North Dakota, the 2007 winner, Jeff Jackson of Notre Dame, Troy Jutting of Minnesota State, Brian Riley of Army and Jerry York of Boston College.

The Spencer Penrose Award is named in honor of the former Colorado Springs benefactor who built the Broadmoor Hotel Complex, site of the first 10 NCAA Hockey Championships. It will be presented at the American Hockey Coaches Association Coach of the Year Banquet on Saturday, April 26, in Naples, Fla.

2007-08 Men’s Ice Hockey Division I Coach of the Year Finalists
Red Berenson, Michigan*#
Guy Gadowsky, Princeton*
Dave Hakstol, North Dakota#
Jeff Jackson, Notre Dame#@
Troy Jutting, Minnesota State*
Brian Riley, Army*
Tom Serratore, Bemidji State*
Kevin Sneddon, Vermont*
Jerry York, Boston College#@

* Conference Coach of the Year
# NCAA “Frozen Four” Participant
@ Previous Winner of the Spencer Penrose Award

--bsu--